Gauchos Host Long Beach State, UC San Diego to Open MPSF Play

 The Schedule
Wednesday, January 13, 2010 at 7 p.m.
No. 14 UC Santa Barbara (0-3) vs. No. 9 Long Beach State (1-2)
at Robertson Gymnasium (2,000)
Series record vs. the 49ers - 44-37
Streak - Lost 3
2009 Series - LBSU won 2-1
Last time out vs. the 49ers - L, 3-2 (1/7/10)
Match broadcast online by KCSB
Match available on Gametracker

Saturday, January 16, 2010 at 7 p.m.
UC Santa Barbara (0-3) vs. UC San Diego (1-2)
at Robertson Gymnasium (2,000)
Series record vs. the Tritons - 23-5
Streak - Lost 3
2009 Series - UCSD won 2-0
Last time out vs. the Tritons - L, 3-2 (1/8/10)
Match broadcast online by KCSB
Match available on Gametracker

 Tickets For All Matches Are Available Now
This season, fans have several options to purchase men's volleyball tickets. You can buy online and print at home through Ticket Return. Just go to UCSBgauchos.com, click on "Tickets," and then "Buy" under men's volleyball. Additionally, tickets are available by calling the Ticket Office at 805.893.UCSB or by visiting the Ticket Office located in the Intercollegiate Athletics building on campus. Of course, you can also buy tickets at the Rob Gym entrance beginning one hour prior to the start of the match. Individual match ticket prices are $7 for adults, $5 for seniors, and $3 for youths. UCSB students are free with ID.

 Can't Make it to the Court?
UCSB men's volleyball matches can be followed live online for no charge with Gametracker. Log on to UCSbgauchos.com, go to the men's volleyball schedule, and click on the Gametracker link for the match you're interested in. You can follow each point and see player statistics and bios.

 Santa Barbara Invitational Recap
UCSB took eighth place in last week's 46th Annual Santa Barbara Invitational at Rob Gym and the Thunderdome. The Gauchos went 0-3 over the two-day tournament, falling to eventual tournament champion, No. 2 Cal State Northridge, in the opening round and then dropping a pair of five-setters to No. 7 Long Beach State and No. 11 UC San Diego. Tournament Most Valuable Player Kevin McKniff led CSUN's 3-1 upset of No. 5 BYU in the title match, tallying 15 kills on 26 attempts with only one error, a .538 clip. NAIA powerhouse Cal Baptist swept No. 10 UCLA in the third place match and No. 3 UC Irvine, the defending national champion, overtook No. 9 Long Beach State, 3-1, in the fifth place match.

 Fresh in the Memory Bank
UCSB dropped a five-set thriller against Long Beach State during the second round of the Santa Barbara Invitational on 1/7. The Gauchos jetted out to a 2-1 lead, but would be done-in by a .090 hitting percentage throughout the last two sets, eventually falling to the 49ers by scores of 30-28, 25-30, 25-30, 30-28, and 15-10.

 LBSU-UCSB 2009 Recap
The Gauchos were 1-2 against Long Beach State a year ago, sweeping the 49ers in the third-place match of the 2009 EBar/Santa Barbara Invitational. Jeff Menzel hit .308 with 18 kills and just six errors in 39 sets. He also added 6 digs, a pair of aces and 21.5 points in the winning effort. LBSU would win both MPSF tilts between the two squads, first sweeping the Gauchos at Rob Gym on 2/7/09 before beating UCSB by game scores of 30-20, 26-30, 30-20, and 30-24 at the Long Beach Pyramid on 4/10/09.

 Remember the Tritons
The Gauchos faced UC San Diego on January 8th in the seventh-place match of the 2010 Santa Barbara Invitational, crawling back from an 0-2 deficit before falling to the Tritons in five sets, 30-22, 30-28, 29-31, 26-30, and 15-11. Scott Slaughter led the Gauchos with a .769 hitting percentage (10-0-13). Jeff Menzel and Cullen Irons had 22 and 15 kills, respectively. UCSD's Frank Fritsch totaled a match-high 27 put aways on 49 attempts with only 10 errors. The Tritons out-hit the Gauchos .368 (83-26-155) to .287 (66-23-150) and out-blocked UCSB 11 to 8.5.

 Makin' History
Junior Jeff Menzel became only the 11th Gaucho in program history to reach the 1,000 kill benchmark, accomplishing the feat on his 20th kill of the afternoon in January 7th's match versus Cal State Northridge. Libero Andy McGuire dished out the assist on the play, setting up a pass on the left flank for Menzel to put away. Menzel now has 1,057 kills for his career and needs just 25 more to eclipse Todd Ahmadi's total of 1,081 to move into 10th place on UCSB's all-time career kills list.

 Five for Fighting
Dating back to last season, the Gauchos are 3-8 when the match advances to five sets. UCSB dropped two five-setters in the Santa Barbara Invitational versus Long Beach State and UC San Diego.

 De-Veining the GauchosVince Devany continues to be a solid distributer of the ball, tallying 169 assists over the Gauchos' first three matches. Against Cal State Northridge (1/7), Devany had 49 passes that resulted in points to go along with six digs and an ace. Devany improved throughout the tournament, dishing out 60 assists vs. Long Beach State (1/7) and then 61 assists in the seventh-place match versus UC San Diego.

 Offering a Lending HandScott Slaughter saw his first action of the 2010 season during the seventh-place match of the Santa Barbara Invitational on 1/8 vs. UCSD after missing the first two matches while nursing a hand injury. Coming in as a subsititue for Dylan Davis in the third set, Slaughter connected on 10 of his 13 total attacks with no errors, leading the team with a .769 hitting percentage while playing only three sets.

 The McLaughlin FileRick McLaughlin, formerly the men's volleyball coach at Loyola Marymount, an assistant women's coach at UCSB, and the women's coach at Golden West College, was named UCSB's head men's volleyball coach in June of 2008. During his first season at the helm, McLaughlin led the Gauchos to an 8-19 overall record and helped two of his players earn All-MPSF honors.

McLaughlin spent ample time during the 2009 offseason with the USA Volleyball- first guiding the junior team to the 2009 NORCEA Pan-American Cup championship in Chiapas, Mexico before assisting with the Men's Senior National Team during their qualifications for the 2010 World Championships. McLaughlin led the LMU program for eight years beginning in 1993, ending in 2000 when the school dropped the program. He was named MPSF Coach of the Year in 1998 and 2000. Following the 2000 season, he was also selected ASICS/Volleyball Magazine National Coach of the Year after guiding the Lions to the semifinals of the MPSF Tournament, a first for the program. In the fall of 2001, he joined the staff of his brother Jim - a UCSB alumnus - to help rebuild the women's program at the University of Washington.

McLaughlin began his collegiate coaching career under Marv Dunphy at Pepperdine, coaching the 1991 and 1992 seasons and helping the Waves to the 1992 NCAA Championship. McLaughlin's second stint in Malibu (2002-05) resulted in three Final Four appearances and the 2005 National Championship. He spent one year as an assistant on Kathy Gregory's UCSB women's staff in 2005 a year in which the Gauchos went 21-9 overall and 12-2 in the Big West, sharing the league title and advancing to the NCAA Tournament. In 2006, McLaughlin became head women's coach at Golden West College, where two successful years culminated in 2007 when he guided the program to the state title game. As a player, McLaughlin was a four-year starting setter at Loyola Marymount. When he completed his career, he ranked among the Lions' top-10 in career assists (1,691) and service aces (58). At LMU, McLaughlin earned a bachelor's degree in business administration and finance in 1990. In 1999, he completed his master's degree in education at Azusa Pacific.

 BE Great
In 2009, UCSB Athletics unvelied the BE Great initiative. BE Great is dedicated to maximizing leadership ability, strong on-campus interaction, and general welfare for all 450 student-athletes and Intercollegiate Athletics staff at UC Santa Barbara. BE Great also focuses on personal and career development, diversity and social awareness, and ensuring academic success.